


Heart in the Drain (Censored Version)

by EmberRayneStorm



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Fluff, Fortune-teller!Magnus, Happy Ending, M/M, Plumber!Alec, Repairman!Alec, Slice of Life, brief angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25324636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmberRayneStorm/pseuds/EmberRayneStorm
Summary: After the end of yet another bad relationship, Magnus Bane has decided he’s done with love. But fate (or a certain cat) has other plans when his sink becomes clogged and a handsome plumber comes to fix it.Aka: Chairman Meow the MatchmakerNB: This is the smut free version for anyone who isn't comfortable with that.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 12
Kudos: 35





	Heart in the Drain (Censored Version)

**Author's Note:**

> NB: While elements are inspired by it, this is NOT the alternative dimension visited in the show.  
> Also, I am not a plumber, handyman or tarot card reader. This is all supposition for a story. Not looking to insult the lifework of any professionals. Just invoking my creative license.
> 
> Special thanks to Toby (TobytheWise) for throwing out the idea that got trapped in my head and continued to mutate until I could no longer ignore it. To Lynx (KilLinggames) who cheered me on and encouraged me every step of the way. And, of course, to all the lovelies over at the Hunter’s Moon! Thank you all for being so wonderful!

_Our Story Begins…_

The first tarot card was flipped, revealing its answer.  
“Hmm…” Magnus Bane began, looking up through his lashes and invoking his usually air of mystery and intrigue.  
“You are about to find love in a most unexpected place.”  
He turned the second.  
“Ah, but be mindful. Misunderstanding will threaten to keep you apart.”  
He flipped the final card and smiled.  
“But you are lucky. You have a guardian in your corner working to keep you on the path to happiness.”

“Okay, but…” The woman sat across from him frowned. “I mean, is he, like, rich? I don’t settle for less than six figures.” She waved a freshly manicured hand dramatically. “And he’s gotta be hot! I don’t want to have to worry about my picture being posted online with him”

Magnus forced his smile to remain, fighting back his growing annoyance. “I’m afraid the cards didn’t say, my dear. They don’t tend to get that…specific.” He strained to remain diplomatic.

“What a rip.” She grumbled, slumping back in her chair.

“The cards work in mysterious ways.”

Suddenly she seemed inspired, sitting forward eagerly. “Okay, what about gifts. Is he going to be able to give me lots of presents?”

Magnus held in a tired sigh, clinging to his smile. He reached over to the deck, drew an extra card and revealed it, not even bothering to look at what it was. “Well look at that. I see prosperity in him. He will certainly be able to lavish you as you deserve.”

If his client had caught on to his fabrication she didn’t show it. Instead she squealed with delight. “Excellent! Daria is gonna flip when I roll up to her birthday party in a high end sports car with a rich guy on my arm.”

She grabbed her purse and stood, full of renewed energy. “Oh thank you, Mr. Bane. I knew you’d have the answers I needed.”

“Only happy to be able to be of help, my dear.” He replied, all professional charm.

He walked with her out of his shop and down the entrance hallway to his front door. She was still bursting with excited energy as he waved her off, locking his front door behind her.

He released the smile glued to his face then, closing his eyes and pinching the brim of his nose.

It was moments like these that he was particularly glad he ran his shop from within his home. Walking to his living room, he slumped onto the couch, lying back with a tired groan.

A silver stripped tabby hopped up onto his chest, meowing.

“Well hello, my sweet Chairman.” He greeted, scratching behind the cat’s ears. “I hope you’re having a much better day than I am.”

“Meow.”

“Oh, just another tiresome, superficial client looking to raise her social clout.” He massaged his brow. “I know I shouldn’t complain, it comes with the territory of this job, but it reminds me of Camille. How I ever let myself get so caught up in someone so vain and self-involved, I’ll never know.”

Chairman produced a throaty rumble in response.

“I know, you never liked her, did you? You tried to warn me!” He sighed. “But I didn’t listen. Instead I let her continue to string me along until she went so far as to cheat on me. And even then she couldn’t understand why I was so upset. I think I must just be a great big fool when it comes to romance.”

He groaned, slumping back again.

“You know, Chairman, I think the only solution is for me to be done with it. All of it. From now on, Magnus Bane is sworn off of love.”

This received a disapproving meow.

“No, my love life is completely down the drain, Chairman. Utterly unsalvageable. I’m just going to cut my losses and focus on enjoying life on my own.” He reached forward, petting Chairman. “Well, with you too, of course, my sweet.”

Chairman produced a small meow in response, hoping down and skittering away.

“…Or not.”

Magnus let out another deep breath and closed his eyes. He decided he’d just rest there for a few moments while he gathered his energy and then get to work cleaning up his shop.

But not two minutes later he was interrupted by loud insistent meowing coming from the other room.

With a groan, he pushed himself up off the couch and followed the sound to the kitchen.

There he found Chairman sitting on the window sill above the kitchen sink, fidgeting back and forth as he cried out.

Magnus frowned in concern, moving closer. “What has gotten into you?”

Chairman hopped down into the sink, pawing at the drain.

“What on earth are you doing?” As Magnus reached the sink, Chairman hopped back up onto the ledge, making room.

Magnus leaned over the sink, looking down the drain, and spotted a colourful shape at the bottom.

“What is-” He squinted, leaning in closer. Realisation dawned on him. He looked up. “Chairman, is that one of your toys?”

A small mew.

“How ever did you even manage to get it all the way down there?” He rubbed his brow, feeling his headache grow.

A sorrowful meow.

Magnus sighed, reaching out to stroke Chairman’s head. “It’s alright, Darling. Accidents happen. Don’t worry, we’ll get it back.” He frowned, looking down again “Though, I’m not quite certain how. It’s really far down in there. You’ve probably blocked the entire drain.”

“Meow.”

“Alright, my sweet. Let’s see if we can’t find some help.”

Magnus returned to his front hallway, seeking his pile of mail atop a table there. He remembered seeing a flier that had come in recently which advertised something to do with repair work. He was a bit surprised it had stuck in his mind, but something in the elegant design of the logo had stood out to him. Finding the flier, he pulled it out.

“Here we are. Lightwood Home Repair.” He read, scanning through their list of services. “Yes, plumbing. Perfect!”

He looked down to Chairman sitting at his feet. “Well, let’s give them a call and see if they can rescue us, shall we?”

“Meow.”

One phone call and a couple of hours later, Magnus’ doorbell rang.

Peering out his kitchen window, Magnus saw a large truck parked in his driveway with ‘Lightwood Home Repair’ printed on the side along with the same elegant logo from the flyer.

The majority of his headache had passed by now, but he was still not feeling terribly social. He was hoping this would be a quick fix and he could get on with finishing up his day.

What he was not expecting was to open his door to a tall and very attractive man smiling at him.

“Afternoon.” He greeted, holding out a business card “Alec Lightwood. I hear you have a clogged sink?”

Still a bit stunned by the unexpected allure of the man before him, it took Magnus a moment to respond. He accepted the card almost on instinct. “Oh, uh, yes. Right this way.”

Regaining his composure, Magnus glanced at the card as he led Alec through to the kitchen. ‘Alexander Lightwood. Plumbing, Maintenance, General Home Repair.’ The reverse once again displayed their company name and logo.

“It’s right in here.” Magnus gestured towards the sink as he reaches the kitchen doorway. “Unfortunately Chairman seems to have dropped one of his toys down the drain.”

“Chairman?”

“Chairman Meow. My cat.” He explained.

He found he was struck with a strange joy when he saw Alec’s eyes crinkle as he broke into a humorous smile. “Of course. Well, I should be able to open up the pipes and rescue his lost toy without much trouble.”

“Great. Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll just be in the other room cleaning up my shop. Let me know if you need anything.” Magnus still wasn’t really in the mood to be social. He’d admit this man was certainly a pleasant treat for the eyes, but he had a job to do and definitely didn’t need Magnus standing glum in the corner as he worked.

“Will do.” Alec replied, smiling warmly.

Magnus ignored the way his stomach gave a little flutter at that.

And that would have been the end of it.

He would have simply left Alec to do his work.

But, as Magnus reached the door to his shop, he was interrupted by loud meowing once again coming from the kitchen.

He could hear the faint sound of talking as he returned to investigate, but couldn’t quite make out what was being said. Then laughing.

When he reached the kitchen, Magnus was horrified to see Chairman wedged in under the sink next to Alec. Alec was laughing while trying to carefully maneuver himself out from under the sink without risking any harm to Chairman, but Chairman was clearly not getting the memo. He continued to push his way in, wrapping himself further around Alec as he went.

Magnus rushed over. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry. Chairman, what are you doing?! Get out of there!” He reached down, scooting the cat away.

Alec pulled himself out, still chuckling. “It’s okay. He’s just curious. Or probably concerned. It is his toy trapped, after all.”

Magnus had started to respond but was cut off when he spotted Chairman once again slinking his way in closer. “Chairman!” He called, exacerbated. He scooped up the cat. “Alright, you’ve had your fun. Now it’s time we go and leave the nice man to his work.”

Not two steps toward the doorway, however, Chairman had wriggled so vigorously he had slipped out of Magnus’ arms and was back at the sink with Alec.

Magnus bent down and picked up his misbehaving cat. He gave Alec an apologetic look, relieved to see him stifling further laughter.

“What has gotten into you?” He chastised Chairman. “I’m sorry, for some reason he seems determined to stay and watch. Would it be alright if I just stood here with him? I don’t think you’ll get any work done otherwise.”

“No problem at all.” Alec responded. “Nothing wrong with a little pleasant company.”

“It’s strange. Normally when I have visitors he can’t get away fast enough. He goes off to hide in his own private corner until things settle down.”

“He must be anxious to have his toy back.”

Magnus watched as Alec opened his toolbox, noting how organized it was. Though he had no idea what half of them were for, he could tell each item had its own proper home and was well cared for.

“I’m guessing you’ve been doing this for a while?” Magnus asked.

“Yeah, it’s my family’s business. Been a few generations, so we were all raised learning the trades.”

“You have siblings?”

“Three. Two brothers and a sister. So we can’t get away from each other.” He laughed. “I’m actually roommates with one of my brothers.” Tool in hand, Alec slipped back under the sink.

“That must be nice, though. Keeps you all close.”

“It does. And it is. Even if we annoy each other, I love them a lot.”

Magnus smiled. He realised he had somehow shifted out of his grumpy mood into a pleasant one, and his headache was now completely gone. He was suddenly very glad he had ended up staying to chat with the plumber.

“Alright, here we go.” Alec said from under the sink, pulling a now detached piped down. “Yup, I see it. Alright just give me a second.”

“Meow.”

“Don’t worry Chairman, I’ll be careful.” He responded, and Magnus could hear the smile on his face. Magnus smiled too, delighted with the way Alec was so willing to humor his cat.

“Gotcha.” He said, slipping back out from underneath after successfully retrieving the toy. “Alright, let’s just get you all hooked up again here, make sure you’re back up and running, and then we can rinse this guy off.” Alec carefully dropped the toy into the sink basin before moving back underneath.

Magnus watched Alec move, sliding in on his back and rotating his torso a bit so he was propped up on his side. As he stretched his arms up to work, his shirt raised just enough that a slip of skin peaked out at the bottom.

Magnus only realised he’d zoned out staring when he heard Alec speak. “There we go.”

Magnus snapped back to into focus, shifting to ensure he wasn’t drooling, and tried to look casual. Or at least like he hadn’t just been caught overtly ogling the handyman.

“You should be all set.” Alec pulled himself out, standing up at the sink. He turned on the tap, watching as the water flowed and drained properly. “Perfect.”

He fussed in the sink for a minute and Magnus realised he was washing Chairman’s toy. Alec turned off the tap and dried the toy off with a paper towel. “Here we go” He turned back, holding out the toy.

“Meow.” Chairman eagerly wriggled free, strutting across the counter to reclaim his toy. He then hopped to the floor and began batting it around the kitchen, eliciting another melodic laugh from Alec.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Magnus said, smiling happily.

“It didn’t take long. Plus, I like to make sure my clients are fully satisfied.” He smiled, full of charm.

Magnus laughed, trying not to let his mind wander to the potential cheesy porno movie implications. “Well you’ve certainly made one happy cat. Thank you again for your help.”

“No problem at all. It was an easy fix.”

Magnus returned his smile and studied Alec’s face, fully taking in his handsome features. The sharpness of his jaw, those thick lashes, the little gap in his eyebrow. Not to mention those stunning eyes.

Magnus realised he’d been stood staring and shook himself back into focus. “Oh, uh, what do I owe you?” He managed to stammer out, feeling flustered. He just hoped his face wasn’t betraying him.

“Accounting already got you all set up, right?”

“Oh, yes, on the phone when I called.”

“Then you’re all set. No extra charge for cat toy cleanings.” He gave a jovial chuckle.

Magnus laughed. “Why thank you, Alexander.”

This seemed to catch Alec by surprise. But then he smiled, even wider than before. “You’re welcome, Magnus.”

There was another momentary pause before Alec started to move, bending to collect his tools. “Well I guess I’ll be off.”

Magnus watched as he put each one back carefully in its proper home. “You let me know if you have any further problems. You’ve got my card. Lightwood Home Repair is happy to help, big or small.”

“I certainly will.”

He walked Alec out, closing the door behind him, and this time his smile didn’t leave.

“Well, that was unexpected pleasant surprise.” Magnus said, plunking himself back on the couch, in a much better mood than the last time. “A very pleasant surprise indeed.”

Chairman hopped up next to him, toy in tow.

“When did you become such a trouble maker, huh?” Magnus teased, scrutching behind his ears. “I suppose I can’t blame you. He was certainly very handsome, wasn’t he?”

Magnus leaned back, closing his eyes and humming to himself happily. He played Alec’s laugh over in his mind, warming with the thought of the smile that accompanied it.

“What am I doing?” He said, snapping back to reality.

“Meow.”

“No, no. This is just a silly fantasy. Like something out a trashy romance novel. I won’t indulge in something so childish.”

He crossed his arm, attempting to be steadfast in his decision. But he found himself closing his eyes again and allowing his mind to wander once more. He couldn’t help but indulge. Just a little. Just for fun. There was no harm in that, right?

As the days passed, Magnus found he was still thinking about the charming smile of a certain dark haired plumber. As hard as he tried to ignore it, his thoughts keep wandering back to his handsome surprise guest. He caught himself going over the memory of his visit, replaying their conversation in his mind.

He knew he could no longer deny his infatuation when he found himself daydreaming about that flash of skin revealed, mentally tracing over it and wondering what else lay further underneath. He had to admit it: he was smitten.

“Oh bother, Chairman. I’ve really done it now.”

He tried to distract himself with work. Dusting and reorganizing his shop, then relocating everything when he still wasn’t satisfied.

After rearranging his crystal collection for the third time in a row, he was met with a now familiar interruption. A loud and urgent meowing in the distance.

“What now?”

He followed the sound in through his bedroom, pushing open the cracked bathroom door. There, backing away from a growing puddle, was Chairman Meow. And the toilet. Steadily overflowing.

And Magnus couldn’t help the excited grin that spread over his face.

After a hurried phone call, Alec instructed Magnus how to turn off the water so it would stop overflowing and promised to be there right away.

Magnus haphazardly threw down several towels to absorb the water and rushed to get changed.

Just so he wouldn’t be wearing clothes with toilet water on them, he told himself.

Yet, he found himself scrutinizing every shirt he owned, weighing carefully several options. Finally he settled on a vest over a patterned silk shirt combo that he felt accentuated his body well, without being too forward. Simple, yet elegant. Refined without giving the impression of trying too hard. Because Magnus Bane was not trying too hard.

“Am I?” He asked Chairman. He was stood in front of his bedroom mirror, adjusting some of his more glamorous pieces of jewellery. “Maybe I am. Is it too much?”

It was too late to question, however. The doorbell rang and so Magnus buried any remaining doubt and went to collect his handsome visitor.

After greeting him at the door, and trying not to feel too pleased at the way he caught Alec’s eyes rake over his body briefly, he escorted Alec to the problem area.

Ever the professional, Alec had gotten right to work on analyzing the problem.

“I’m so sorry about this. This is rather embarrassing.” Magnus admitted.

“Hardly. I see a lot of this type of stuff.” Alec reassured. “This and blocked sink drains are my bread and butter. So you’re right on point with the norm.”

Magnus felt better hearing that, but also found himself determined to ensure he wouldn’t remain the norm in Alec’s mind.

He leaned against the wall, watching as Alec peered into the tank and began adjusting the mechanism.

“You got here so quickly!” Magnus complimented. “I truly appreciated it. I hope I didn’t pull you away from anything important.”

Alec let out a little chuckle as he continued to work. “No, don’t worry. My brother invited his girlfriend over for dinner and is attempting to cook for her. So you actually saved me from a night of third wheeling over questionable eats.”

“Well I’m glad to be able to return the favour.” Magnus smiled.

“Alright, that should do it.” Alec said, replacing the tank cover.

“So quickly?” Magnus responded, more than a little disappointed.

“Well, let’s turn your water flow back on here, and then with any luck-” Having reopened the valve, Alec pressed down the toilet handle. “-you should be up and running again.”

“The running was exactly my problem before.” Magnus teased.

Alec laughed. “You’re right, my mistake. You should be back to only running when required.” As if on cue, the water settled, falling silent.

“Well look at that. Good as new.” Magnus smiled. “Thank you, Alexander.”

Again, he seemed to catch Alec off guard for a moment. “Happy to help.”

After collecting his toolbox, Alec turned back to Magnus. “You know, we do offer more than just pipe unclogging. We’re a full home repair company, so anything that needs fixing or a tune up, we’re happy to help. Just let me know if you need anything else.”

Magnus smiled. “I will have a look around and be sure to do that.”

And, thus, Magnus found himself scrutinizing every inch of his home, ruthlessly hunting for any leaky pipes, creaky floorboards or sticky cupboards.

And Alec came to fix every one.

Including any extra jobs Magnus managed to come up with while he was there to delay his stay. “Oh, before you go, my shop door has been squeaking something terrible lately. It’s sort of ruining the mystic ambiance. Do you think that’s something you would be able to fix?”

Alec smiled warmly. “I’m sure I could take care of that for you.”

Magnus might not be any kind of home repair expert, but from what he’d seen, Alec’s work was top notch. The only real complaint Magnus found he had was that Alec was far too efficient at his craft. It felt to Magnus like Alec had barley arrived before he had already completed the task.

Unfortunately, that also meant that, before he knew it, there was nothing left in his home to be repaired.

Magnus searched high and low, jiggling cupboards and wiggling door handles, unable to find a single problem.

Every leak was plugged, every crack sealed, every door hinge greased.

Everything solidly repaired.

And it was utterly infuriating.

Magnus sat sulking on the couch, arms firmly crossed, wallowing in his lack of excuses to call Alec to his home.

And then his eye wandered to a colourful cat toy on the floor.

Which is how Magnus found himself back at his kitchen sink, ladle in hand, jamming a cat toy down his drain.

Chairman sat nearby, tail swishing, looking rather displeased.

“Meow.”

“Don’t judge me.” Magnus responded. “You did this!”

“Meow.”

“…oh shush.”

“Old cat-toy-in-the-sink-drain again, huh? Well this is a familiar sight.” Alec smiled his usual charming smile.

“Oh, yes, silly boy. I guess Chairman must have really missed you. He must have thought this was the only way to make you visit again.” He laughed a bit too forcefully.

 _Calm down, Magnus._ He thought. _No need to completely give yourself away._

“Well, not to worry Chairman, well get it out safe and sound again.” Alec smiled warmly, petting Chairman.

Alec got to work and Magnus happily watched. He ogled Alec’s stretched out body, studying the way it moved, and imagined him lying sprawled in a more comfortable location.

“Here we are.” Alec popped out with a grin, holding up the toy.

“Oh, great!” Magnus smiled, internally wondering if he should have somehow jammed it down further.

He watched as Alec once again reconnected the pipe and washed up the toy.

This time when offered, Chairman hastily grabbed the toy and scurried away to another room.

Alec chuckled. “What do you think got into him?”

“Haven’t a clue.” He nervously laughed.

Magnus knew there were only so many times you could jam a cat toy down the drain before someone got suspicious. He wasn’t going to be able to use that trick again.

Which meant he now had to let nature take its course and wait until something actually broke.

Lucky for him, the gods of fate were kind.

One morning, as he went to crank closed his kitchen window, the mechanism jammed in place. As he used a bit more force to try and resume the movement, the handle snapped off, leaving his window stuck open with no means to try and close it.

“Oh dear.” Magnus said, his tone not even close to matching his words and with a smile glued firmly to his face.

One phone call later, Magnus once again found himself dressing up, this time without shame. He was doing a last mirror check, humming in approval, as the doorbell rang.

He hurried to the door, opening it with a wide smile.

Only to find a blonde stranger on his doorstep.

“Good morning. Jace with Lightwood Home Repair.” He held out his card “I’m here about the jammed window.”

“Oh. Yes. Come in.” Magnus answered, taking the card and stepping aside. Looking at it, he read ‘Jace Herondale. Maintenance, Plumbing, General Home Repair’.

Magnus was disappointed, but understood. It wasn’t just Alec working for the company, after all. He could hardly expect him to always be the one to answer his calls. It was probably unusual he was the only handyman that’d come at this point.

Instead Magnus swallowed his disappointment and tried to distract himself with some small talk. “Herondale. That’s a nice strong name.”

“Thank you. My father was a great man, so I’m happy to carry it.”

Magnus nodded. He was no Alec, but he seemed pleasant enough.

“So…the window?” Jace prompted.

“Oh, right! This way.” Magnus mentally kicked himself as he led Jace through his home. “Sorry, I’m so used to Alec just knowing his way around. I’ve used your services an embarrassingly large amount of times. I’m sure you guys are sick of me by now.” He pointed to the window. “It’s just here.”

Jace chuckled, setting down his toolbox. “Definitely not. We’re very thankful for your loyal patronage.” As he opened his toolbox, Magnus couldn’t help but notice the disarray of the tools inside, thinking how much it contrasted against the disciplined order of Alec’s. “Also, Alec asked me to tell you he is very sorry he couldn’t be here, but was detained at a rather involved plumbing call. Started as just investigating some creaky basement pipes. Ended in having to replace a whole batch of them before they burst.”

“Oh, dear!”

Jace dug around his toolbox, searching for the right one. “Yeah, that’s what happens when you don’t get them checked regularly. Joints get loose and weaken. Sounds like this one was a near miss flood in the client’s basement. Alec had to stay and replace a whole section of the piping so it wouldn’t be a problem. Which meant it wasn’t something that could wait.”

“No, of course. Sounds like he’s in for quite the job.”

“Yup. But he’ll get it done by the end of the day. He’s the pluming wiz. This here-” He gestured to the window “-is more my area of expertise anyway.”

“Oh?”

“Ya, I usually handle most of the maintenance type jobs. Not that Alec isn’t great at it. And I am a damn fine plumber, if I do say so myself.” He grinned widely. “But this kind of stuff is my primary area of focus.”

“Oh, I’m surprised you haven’t been sent by before now. Alec has done quite a few maintenance jobs for me around here.”

 _But not disappointed._ Magnus thought.

“Oh yeah, don’t worry, he’s good for it. We both majored in each sector, we just have our preferences. It generally comes down to a scheduling thing in the end.” Jace explained

“I see.” Magnus fought the urge to ask how he could arrange the schedule so Alec was always the one who answered his calls.

“Don’t tell him I told you that, though. He’ll never let me live it down. We are way too competitive.” Jace chuckled.

“Sounds like you guys are close.” Magnus smiled.

“Oh yeah, we are. Arguably too close.” He laughed. “I see the guy every day. We’re partners.”

Magnus’ face dropped. “Oh. You don’t say.”

“Ya, he can be a real serious sourpuss, all about the rules and stuff, but he’s a secret softie so you can’t hold it against him at the end of the day.”

“Of course.” Magnus found he was barely listening anymore. He was mostly focused on trying to hold himself together. To retain an outward appearance of normalcy. And on not letting this news completely shatter him in the way it most definitely was.

Partners. They were partners. Of course Alec was seeing someone. How could he not be?

“Okay, it looks like this joint part is totally rusted out. I’m going to have to replace it.” Jace explained. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the part on me. I’ll have to order it from the warehouse. What I’m going to do is patch this up here so it holds closed. That way you don’t get anything coming in that you don’t want to. It’ll just have to stay like that until I can comeback with the replacement piece.”

Magnus nodded, barely registering the explanation. He hadn’t been all that concerned about the window to begin with and certainly wasn’t now. His heart hurt. All he wanted to do was curl up in bed.

“I know it’s not nice in this weather to have it stuck closed, so we’ll be sure to get that to you asap. Shouldn’t take more than a day or two.” Jace explained. “Then we’ll set up a time to come by and get you all fixed up properly, okay? No extra charge for the return finish up job.”

Magnus politely thanked Jace and saw him out.

He then walked to the living room, curling up on the couch with a heavy sigh.

How could he have been so foolish. So childish. He allowed himself to indulge so far into a silly fantasy that he had once again left himself vulnerable. He had vowed not to do this to himself again. Yet what had he done? Immediately exposed himself to further heartbreak.

“I really am a fool.” He murmured dispirited.

Chairman appeared and snuggled his way into Magnus’ chest. He let out a sympathetic mew. Magnus hugged Chairman tight, willing himself to forget the handsome plumber who had come to call.

The next day Magnus found he was still not feeling any better. The hurt wasn’t as fresh, but he was still disappointed. At the situation, but mostly at himself. Mad that he had so foolishly opened his heart up to once again be hurt all due to a silly fantasy.

Luckily, he didn’t have any scheduled readings so he decided to close up his shop and take a personal day to mope.

His phone rang several times but Magnus ignored it. It was probably potential clients looking to schedule a session, but Magnus was not prepared to deal with the outside world.

He was in the kitchen brewing some tea, ready to return to his cuddle session with Chairman, when the doorbell rang.

Magnus went to answer, irritated by the intrusion. He reached for the door, a sour look on his face for whoever was daring to bother him.

And standing in his doorway was the last person he wanted to see right now. Because he was the person he _most_ wanted to see.

“Sorry to come unannounced.” Alec said with his usual charismatic smile that made Magnus’s heart ache. “I tried to call, but there was never an answer. I just thought I’d come see if you were home since the part is pretty time sensitive. I hope this isn’t a bad time?”

Magnus had completely forgotten about the window repair. Of course it would be Alec sent to finish the job. The world just had to be that cruel.

He sighed. “Of course, right this way.”

Alec chuckled, stepping inside. “I think I know where it is after all this time.”

“Right.” Magnus said, unable to summon any of his usual charm. He had already not been feeling very upbeat and was ready for this tormenting interaction to be over.

Alec set his toolbox down in the kitchen and began to work. “I bet you’ll be glad to have the summer breeze back in here.”

“Yes.”

Alec made a puzzled face at his terse answer, but continues to work.

As if to fill in the gap, Chairman hopped up on the counter next to Alec.

“Well hello, Chairman. Sorry I missed you last time.” He said, giving the cat a few gentle strokes.

Chairman gave a bright meow in response.

Magnus frowned a little. He couldn’t help feeling a little betrayed. He knew Alec hadn’t actually done anything wrong, but he also wasn’t ready to watch Chairman be so friendly with him.

“He hasn’t been trying to drop any more cat toys in the sink, I hope?”

“Hm? Oh. No.”

Alec stopped saying anything after that, electing instead to focus on the task at hand.

Magnus watched silently as Alec finished, cranking the window open and then closed again to confirm the mechanism was in working order.

“Okay, you’re good to go.” Alec’s voice was pleasant but now lacked any of his normal energy. Magnus guessed his own negative mood must have rubbed off on him. He felt a bit guilty at that, but he was frankly still feeling too dejected to be the bigger person.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” Alec began to gather his tools.

Then he stopped, pausing. He took a deep breath in, holding it for a second as if in a moment of last minute doubt. “Magnus…are you upset with me?”

Magnus felt a bit caught, not sure how to respond.

“Is this because I didn’t come last time?”

Magnus forced himself into a professional smile. “Of course not. You were busy doing your job. I completely understand.” At least that part was true. “And your boyfriend did a great job.”

This triggered an immediate and visceral change in Alec. His eyes widened and he sputtered for a moment before being able to respond. “Oh God, no. Jace is my brother.”

“Your…” Magnus blinked, confused. “But he’s Herondale.”

“Yes, he’s adopted. His father died when he was 10 so he wanted to keep his family name. But he’s still no less one of us Lightwoods, even if he chooses not to carry the name.”

“Oh. OH! My mistake.” Magnus responded, outwardly embarrassed, but internally gleeful.

“He actually has a girlfriend. An artist. She’s the one who updated our company logo and designed our fliers.” He explained.

“Lightwood Home Repair, it’s a family business. So everyone who works for the company is part of our family. We all learn the basics of the entire trade, but we each have our own specialties. My sister Isabelle is the electrician. Jace and I have a partnership on plumbing and maintenance. I focus more on the plumbing jobs and he does a lot of the maintenance, but we’re both skilled enough we can do most of the jobs for the other when needed. It’s also advantageous for teaming up on bigger projects. It works well for us.” Alec shrugged.

“Jace normally handles these kinds of jobs, which is why he was able to fill in here last time when I my previous call ran over. But since I wasn’t busy on-call today, I asked if I could come finish the job up myself.”

“Well, I feel a bit silly now” Magnus responded, smiling a bit sheepishly.

Alec chuckled. “Just glad I could clear that up.”

Chairman walked past Alec’s legs, rubbing his body along them. Alec knelt down to pet him.

“So…” Magnus began, working to sound casual “Do you, uh, have one?”

“What’s that?” Alec asked, still focused on petting Chairman.

“A boyfriend.”

“Oh.” Alec responded, looking a bit flustered himself suddenly. “No, I don’t.”

“Ah.” Magnus hoped the happy dance he was doing in his mind wasn’t showing.

Alec continued to lavish Chairman with attention, doubling his efforts by using both hands. “What about you? Are you seeing anyone?” he asked, still not looking up.

For whatever reason, this caused Magnus’ mind to go completely blank. Desperate to maintain his casual air, he sputtered out a response without really thinking. “No. My last relationship with my girlfriend ended pretty badly so I decided to swear of dating entirely.”

“Oh.” Alec nodded pensively.

Magnus instantly kicked himself for such an idiotic answer. Now not only did he sound completely pathetic but also as if he was trying to discourage Alec. Between his earlier poor behaviour and now letting himself get so flustered, he was apparently determined to completely undermine his chances.

“Well, I guess I should actually pack up.” Alec chuckled.

“Oh, right.”

“We’re okay then?” Alec asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

“Most definitely.” Magnus answered, warm all over again.

He watched Alec resume carefully packing away his tools.

_Come on Magnus, get it together. You can do this._

“Uh, actually”

Alec looked up from his toolbox, his eyes meeting Magnus’.

And Magnus froze again. “My door.” He finally sputtered out

“Pardon?”

“My shop door.” He continued, inwardly cursing his cowardice. “It’s been squeaking again. Sporadically. Sometimes it doesn’t. So it might not right now, uh, but sometimes it does. Maybe it has something to do with the weather? …or something?” At this point, all Magnus could do was hope his face wasn’t as red as it felt.

Alec just smiled. “Well, how about I just give it a bit of extra lubricant to make sure it won’t anymore?”

“That’d be great.” Magnus was just about ready to melt into the floor.

Alec finished packing his toolbox, standing up.

“It’s right this way.” Magnus directed.

Alec chuckled warmly. “Pretty sure I know my way around by now.”

“I suppose you would have to.” Magnus laughed, felling a bit relieved.

Alec took his toolbox and led the way to the front hallway, stopping at Magnus’ shop door. He pulled out a can from his toolbox, giving each hinge a thorough spray. He opened and closed the door a few times. “There we go. Shouldn’t be an issue anymore.”

“Thanks so much.”

Alec gave him that charismatic smile. “My pleasure.”

Alec returned the can to his toolbox, then stood up, looking at Magnus. There was a momentary pause as they both seemed to just stare at one other.

“Anything else while I’m here?” Alec finally asked.

“Uh...I-” Magnus tried to start, once again tripping over himself as he felt his heart pounding. “Nope. All good”

It was probably his imagination, but it seemed like Alec’s smile wavered for just a moment. “Okay, well. I guess I’ll see you?” He said, walking towards the front door.

“Right. Thanks again.”

Alec paused again in the doorway, seeming to delay for a moment as he looked Magnus right in the eyes.

Then, finally. “Have a good one.”

And he left.

“Ugh!” Magnus let out an exasperated noise into his couch pillow. “What is wrong with me?!” He couldn’t understand what had happened. He was not usually someone short on words. But, for some reason, Alec seemed to leave him utterly tongue tied.

He kept running the moment over and over, his frustration growing. He was certain now that Alec had been trying to give him and opening. And Magnus had completely missed his chance.

“No. This isn’t over. I won’t let it be.” Magnus stood up, determined. There had to be _something_ left in his house that needed fixing, and he was going to find it.

Search as he might, however, Magnus couldn’t find a single problem.

“Oh come on!” Magnus growled. His eye caught one of Chairman’s toys sitting on the floor.

Chairman gave a displeased warning meow.

“No, no. Don’t worry. I know I can’t use that trick again. Too obviously desperate. Plus, I’ll just look like the worst dad in the world.”

He sighed, hands to his hips, thinking. “There has to be something. I’m just not thinking of it.”

And then he remembered something. Something Jace had said when he had visited. Something about how old basement pipes needed replacing.

He smiled, hurrying down his stairs. “That’s it, Chairman! I just need to find a pipe that feels a bit loose and have Alec come replace it!”

Upon investigation, however, he was very irritated to find all his pipes to be seemingly solid. “Seriously?” He exclaimed. “One of you has to be loose.” He continued to reach around, shaking different sections of piping, becoming more vigorous as he went.

Chairman gave a chastising meow from Magnus’ feet.

“Oh don’t you start! I don’t see you coming up with any better ideas.” He exclaimed, still shaking.

“Meow.”

“Excuse me?!”

And then it happened. Amped up from his desperation, Magnus pulled down with too much force and a pipe completely gave way. One end snapped off at the joint, swinging down with a rush of water.

Chairman bound out of the way as Magnus stood stunned staring at the mess he’d just created.

“…what have I done.”

“Meow.”

“…the cat did this.” Alec said, eyebrow raised in suspicion. “Right.”

He was stood in the basement, looking up at the dangling pipe.

After recovering from the shock, Magnus had placed an urgent call to Alec. When he’d arrived, Magnus had sheepishly shown him the damage, mumbling some story about how Chairman had been walking on them and must have crossed a weakened spot.

Magnus gave a little nervous laugh. “Yeah.” Even to him it sounded ludicrous, but he hadn’t been brave enough to admit what had really happened. He was mortified.

Magnus sat on the stairs, elbow on one knee, chin in his hand. He watched sadly as Alec worked, petting Chairman to ground himself. There was absolutely no way he would be able to ask Alec out after this. He looked like a complete idiot.

“Alright, all set.” Alec said as he finished, giving the pipe his own little wiggle to confirm it was solidly in place.

Magnus watched mournfully as he packed up his tools, neat and concise as ever.

“I…thank you, Alec.” Is all he managed to get out as Alec finished packing up.

Alec looked over at him for a moment. He then picked up his toolbox and walked over to stand next to the stairwell, right next to where Magnus was seated.

“So.” He began, giving a knowing smile. “Are you going to tell me the real reason I’m here?”

Magnus’s eyes widened. “Uh-I-I.” He stammered, caught completely off guard.

“No more plugged drains, no more squeaky doors.” Alec smirked. “Is there something you wanted to ask?”

Magnus’s heart was beating heavily. Normally he was a man with no shortage of words. But now, staring at this handsome man, he wasn’t even certain he still knew how to speak.

Alec gave a little chuckle, looking down through his lashes, then up again “Okay then. This goes totally against work protocols and is completely unprofessional, but…Magnus, would you like to go out on a date with me?”

Magnus sat stunned for a moment, trying to assure himself he really did hear Alec correctly.

Alec chuckled again, gesturing around the room. “Maybe we could meet up somewhere that’s not your house for once?”

That broke Magnus out of this stupor and he laughed. “I’d like that.”

“Great. How about this weekend? If that’s not too soon?” Alec added hastily.

Magnus smiled, realising Alec was actually just as nervous as he was. “Perfect. Where?”

“Client’s choice.” Alec grinned.

“Do you like kebabs? I know this great place in town that opened up recently.”

“Sounds perfect. Send me the details. I’ll meet you there at 7?” Alec asked, offering his phone to Magnus.

Magnus took the phone, smiling. “Consider it done.”

And it was perfect.

The food was delicious and the company even more so.

They talked about Alec’s family, what each of his siblings were like and laughed at stories of their childhood antics. Magnus told him about his work and the different kinds of services he offered his clients. He worried briefly he was going to bore Alec with too much detail, but any fear was quickly squashed when he saw the way Alec looked at him as he spoke. He seemed completely enthralled. Alec asked the occasional thoughtful question, but for the most part seemed completely content to just listen to Magnus speak. It made Magnus feel like he was the only person in the world who mattered in that moment.

It was a wonderful evening.

“Utterly perfect.” Magnus laid on the couch, recounting his evening to Chairman. He was still buzzing with excitement, basking in his post-date bliss as Chairman sat purring happily in his lap.

“And Chairman, oh can he kiss!” He gushed. “I could kiss those lips for days.”

Not content to let their evening end at dinner, they had elected to go for a stroll around the area. No destination in mind, they took random turns as they spoke. They nearly got completely lost they were so engrossed in their conversation. There was a brief moment of worry as they worked together to retrace the steps they hadn’t really been paying attention to, but they did manage to find their way back. Relieved to finally find a familiar street, they had broken out into laughter at their foolishness. As they recovered, wiping tears away, their eyes meet. And they kissed. The most beautiful, gentle kiss Magnus had ever had.

Magnus ran his finger over his lips, still able to feel the sensation.

“Perfect.” He murmured.

And it continued like that.

Dinners, morning trips to the market, cheesy romantic walks in the park. It was all just so perfect.

On their most recent outing they had gone to Alec’s apartment where he got to see Jace again (Alec’s brother) and meet his girlfriend, Clary. They had all chatted for a while before Jace and Clary had mysteriously decided to step out for the evening, making sure to let them know they wouldn’t be back until late.

Not to be one to waste an opening (at least not anymore), Magnus and Alec had ended up in a rather heated make out session while some movie played in the background.

“I felt like some kind of kid, Chairman.” Magnus laughed. “And God, if it wasn’t perfect.”

While there might not have been anything left in Magnus’ house that needed maintenance, Chairman was a different story.

“I know, my sweet.” He soothed Chairman as he packed him in his carrier. “But you need to get your shots updated. I don’t want you getting sick.”

The plan was simple. Go to Chairman’s appointment, get him his shots and return home to pamper Chairman with extra treats before getting ready to meet Alec for dinner.

But simple wasn’t the way things went. Unfortunately, the vet was behind by over an hour. Which would have been fine except once they finally got in for their appointment, Chairman was suddenly hit with a burst of energy and Magnus ended up having to chase him around the clinic. After everything was said and done, Magnus realised that, in order to go home and drop Chairman off, he was going to be late for his date.

This would have been disappointing, but manageable if Magnus could have just called to let Alec know. But, of course, somewhere along the fiasco, his phone had died.

Which is how he ended up waiting outside the restaurant with a cat carrier in tow.

“Well.” Alec smiled as he spotted Magnus. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

He knelt to rub a finger along Chairman’s cheek through the grate. “Or do you feel the need for a chaperone after last time.” Alec grinned, looking up from his bent position.

Magnus laughed. “No, I’m sorry. I had to take him to the vet. I thought I’d be done in plenty of time to drop him back home and make it here, but things ran late and before I knew it…” He sighed deeply “I’m sorry, I would have called, but of course my phone died.”

“So instead you came all the way straight here with a cat carrier.”

“I didn’t want you to think I’d stood you up.” He sighed sadly. “Though, I supposed it’s basically the same thing. You still came all this way for dinner and I can’t exactly go in there with a cat in tow.”

“So let’s not.” Alec smiled.

They sat on a picnic table, finishing up the last of their meal. Alec had taken them to a nearby food truck where they’d ordered some utterly delicious grilled sandwiches and had been able to find their little campout spot. Chairman was contentedly cozied up in his blanketed carrier, having finished his portion of plain grilled chicken.

Magnus just smiled at the serenity of the moment, contrasting with what had previously felt so chaotic.

“Thank you, Alexander. This is perfect.” It was always perfect.

Alec smiled again, looking a bit shy suddenly. “I love that.”

Magnus gave him an inquisitive look.

“I never told you, but I love when you say my name. My full name. Something about the way you say it.” He chuckled to himself. “I couldn’t stop playing it over in my head after the first time.” He admitted.

Magnus smiled wide, leaning in close to rest against Alec. They stayed like that, leaning against one another, content to sit and enjoy the evening together a while longer.

And then Magnus got brave.

“Well, _Alexander_ ,” he emphasised, taking pleasure in the smile it evoked from Alec. “I know we made a promise to see each other _outside_ of my house.” He gave a jovial smile. “But I’d really like it if you came back home with me.”

His eyes met Alec’s, his desire clear in them.

“I’d like that too.” Alec smiled back, leaning in to capture Magnus’ lips.

Later that night, they laid together in bed, catching their breath.

“Magnus, that was…” Alec panted, brain still at a loss for words.

“Perfect?” Magnus offered with a smile.

Alec grinned in return, nodding. “Perfect.” He agreed.

They snuggled up close.

“I hope you’re not planning on going anywhere.”

“Not unless you’re kicking me out.” Alec chuckled.

“Definitely not.” Magnus hummed, pulling himself in closer.

They held each other, completely content.

After a moment, Alec broke the silence. “I do need to pee, though.” He admitted sheepishly.

“Well, I can assure you my bathroom plumbing is in tip top shape, so you’re good to go.” Magnus joked.

Alec laughed, slipping out of bed.

“Hurry back.” Magnus called, watching him close the door.

He sat smiling, still basking in the afterglow.

Chairman hopped up onto the bed next to him.

“Meow.”

“Don’t you look so smug.” Magnus teased, giving him a chin scrutch. “It’s unbecoming.”

“Well hello, Chairman” Alec greeted, offering his own scrutches upon his return.

Chairman meowed happily before curling up at the top of Magnus’ pillow.

“Sorry, he usually sleeps next to me, so I guess he’s looking to settle in for the night.”

“I don’t mind.” Alec said, climbing back in next to him.

“Really?” Magnus asked, sliding in to Alec’s arms.

“Of course not.” Alec reassured. “He’s hardly in our way. In fact, I should probably be thanking him.”

“Oh?”

“If it wasn’t for him, we might never have even met. No cat toy in the drain, no call to the plumber, no night in bed together.”

Magnus laughed, snuggling into Alec’s chest. “I guess you’re right.”

And Chairman purred.

The next morning, Alec was woken by a small rough tongue lapping at his nose.

He blinked awake to find Chairman sitting staring at him.

“Hey there.” He whispered. “You hungry?

A little meow.

Alec looked over to see Magnus still fast asleep. He watched him for a moment, smiling at the memory of their previous evening. He leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on Magnus’ temple, careful not to wake him.

He turned back to Chairman, voice low. “Alright, let’s see if we can’t find some breakfast.”

Magnus woke to the welcoming smell of coffee.

He retrieved his silk robe, slipping it on, and headed out to the kitchen.

There he found Alec, in his underwear and t-shirt, working a frying pan over the oven burner as Chairman happily munched away from his bowl.

“Morning.” Magnus greeted, walking over to Alec.

Alec turned his head, breaking into a smile. “Morning.” He leaned down to greet Magnus with a kiss. “I hope you don’t mind. Chairman wanted some breakfast so I thought I’d make us something so we could join him. I know my way around your kitchen pretty well already.” He joked.

Magnus smiled. “You’re an angel.”

“Hardly.” Alec laughed. “Wait until you taste it to say anything.”

“Well this alone puts you firmly in my good graces.” Magnus teased as he moved to pour himself a mug of freshly brewed coffee.

“Oh yeah?” Alec joked. “And here I thought I already was.”

Magnus chuckled, moving behind Alec as he continued to cook. Magnus wrapped his free arm around him, hugging him and stretching up to place a kiss on his cheek. “True. The coffee just solidifies that.”

Alec returned his laugh, tilting his head so he could kiss Magnus on the lips.

Magnus sat at the table as Alec finished up cooking their breakfast.

Having already apparently demolished his own, Chairman hopped up on the table, settling in to keep them company.

Magnus smiled as he watched Alec place down their plates and give Chairman an affectionate scrutch before settling in himself. Chairman purred happily in response.

They tucked into breakfast, which was delicious no matter what Alec implied, and Magnus sat back, taking in how wonderful everything was. So warm and easy and simple, Alec there with them, smiling and laughing. It felt natural, the three of them.

Perfect.

And that’s how life continued. Alec’s overnight stays became more regular. They continued their wonderful romantic outings together, of course, but now with the added pleasure of most ending in an intimate evening in bed. Or the couch if they weren’t quite able to make it that far.

In fact, at this point they’d been just about all over his home. And in every position. Everything was hot and intense and full of passion. It felt like they were still working to make up for lost time.

And Magnus loved every minute of it.

Magnus also got a chance to spend more time with Alec’s family.

He finally got to meet the lovely Isabelle and delightful Max that he’d heard so much about.

He’d even attended a Lightwood family dinner. Alec had been so endearingly worried leading up to the event. Magnus smiled remembering how much apologising in advanced he’d done for his parents being emotionally cold. Magnus found it absolutely adorable how concerned Alec was that he might be offended or so easily scared off.

Magnus just took it as a personal challenge, cranking up his natural charm and working to win them over. He felt more than pleased with himself when he managed to evoke a genuine strong laugh from Alec’s mother, earning a big happy relieved grin from Alec.

“Some of my better work.” He explained to Chairman with pride, petting him as he regaled him with the tale of his evening.

He actually got very close to Alec’s family, happily joining Izzy on shopping outings or taking Max with them to the movies.

And Magnus felt venerated when Jace asked him to help with his surprise proposal.

Magnus invited Clary over to his shop under the guise of her coming to discuss creating a logo for his shop. He gave her the grand tour, showing her various items ‘for inspiration’, before sitting her down for a complimentary card reading.

“Hmm, that’s odd.” He said after revealing a few cards.

“What?” Clary asked, fully engaged.

“Normally the cards provide answers. But, somehow, they seem to be asking you a question. An important one.” He looked up at her puzzled face, smiling. “Will you marry me?”

She blinked in confused “W-What?”

He chuckled, raising a bejeweled hand to point behind her.

Her confusion rising, she turned to see Jace had slipped in behind her and was now kneeling on the floor, open ring box in hand.

“Jace?!” She cried out in surprise, putting her hands to her face.

“Well?” He grinned.

She nodded vigorously, launching herself out of her chair and looping her arms around Jace’s neck.

Magnus smiled at the happy scene before him. He looked up to see Alec standing in the doorway, smiling down as he watched his brother.

He looked up, meeting Magnus’ eyes, his smile growing all the more.

And Magnus couldn’t help but think how he’d like to be able to make Alec that happy one day.

A couple weeks later, Magnus once again woke to Alec missing from his bed.

He loved waking up with Alec in his arms, but the smell of fresh brewed coffee was always an acceptable consolation.

Slipping on his robe, he headed to the kitchen to find Alec sitting bent over the table. As Magnus moved closer he could see he was looking down at his tablet, scrolling through various advertisements, utterly engrossed in his researching.

After Jace and Clary’s recent engagement, they had started making plans to get their own place together.

Which meant Alec was down a roommate and on the hunt for a one bedroom apartment.

Magnus padded up behind him, leaning down to place a kiss on his cheek, knocking Alec out of his focus.

“Hey! Morning. Sorry, I was going to get you when the coffee finished brewing but I guess I got distracted.”

“Don’t fret, my love. The coffee summoned me all on its own.” He smiled, moving over to pour himself a mug.

He leaned back against the counter, sipping at his coffee. He watched thoughtfully as Alec continued to scroll through information, his brow furrowed in contemplation, absently petting Chairman as he worked.

Magnus smiled at this morning scene he had grown so accustomed to. How it felt so natural for them all to be there together.

So perfect.

“You know…” Magnus started. Alec looked up from his tablet to acknowledge him. “If you wanted, you could always just…move in here.”

A brief look of surprise was quickly replaced by a building smile on Alec’s face.

“I mean, you already know this place intimately. And I’ve got a great on call plumber.” He smiled into his coffee

Alec laughed. “Are you sure?”

“I think Chairman would never forgive me if I wasn’t.” He said, moving to provide the cat with his own pettings.

Alec glowed with happiness. “Well, I guess I better go start packing.”

“You could.” Magnus grinned, setting down his mug. “Or, now that you’re not busy researching, you could just come back to bed with me. To _our_ bed.” He gave Alec a mischievous smile as he backed out of the kitchen

“That sounds like an even better plan.” Alec replied, grinning eagerly as he moved to follow him.

Another week later, Alec was finally able to move in.

He and Jace had packed all his belongings into Alec’s work truck which he then drove over so that he and Magnus could spend the afternoon unloading everything.

Alec placed a box on the floor with an audible thud. “That’s the last of it.”

“Thank goodness, I’m working up more of a labourious sweat then I was prepared for. I didn’t realise you’d have so many boxes of books.”

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Alec chuckled sheepishly.

Magnus hummed thoughtfully, a devious smirk on his face. “Well, you can make it up to me by joining me for a cool down shower.”

“Deal.” Alec grinned.

Hours later, they laid together in bed, satiated.

Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec, hugging him close. “Well, I guess we need another shower now.”

Alec chuckled, pulling Magnus’ arm even tighter around him. “In a bit. Just want to enjoy this for now.”

Magnus hummed his agreement, pressing kisses into Alec’s back.

He felt a light shift in the mattress and noticed Chairman making his way up the bed. He settled into his usual spot at the head of their pillow, nestling comfortably and began to purr.

“I guess he felt left out.” Magnus said.

They laughed.

“Well, we were missing a piece. It’s all of our bed now after all, right?”

Magnus hummed happily, squeezing Alec all the tighter. “It is.”

They continue to snuggle happily, enjoying their lazy post-coital morning as Chairman continued to purr at the head of _their_ bed.

Yes. This is perfect. Magnus thought.

The transition was a smooth one. Alec fit perfectly into their home. It really felt no different other than Magnus got the added pleasure of waking up next to his love (or the smell of fresh coffee) every morning. It was really no surprise as Alec had been spending most nights there already. Just that now Alec didn’t have to always bring and overnight bag and Magnus was able to fully enjoy his handsome plumber any time he wanted.

He fit so perfectly and brought a permanent state of warmth and happiness to the home. It felt as if he had always been meant to be there.

And Magnus knew there was only one thing that could make it _truly_ perfect.

Several months later, Magnus and Alec were home enjoying a lovely Sunday morning together. Magnus was finishing up washing the last of the dishes in the kitchen while Alec vacuumed in the living room. They were working together to get the house cleaned up so they could spend the rest of the day enjoying a relaxing day off together at home.

Alec finished his last task, turning off the vacuum and looking around the freshly tied room with pride.

“Alexander, can you come here?” He heard Magnus call from the kitchen.

He headed there and found Magnus looking down into the sink.

“Can you come have a look at the sink? I’d just finished up the dishes and when I turned my back I think Chairman dropped one of his toys down the drain again.”

“Are you serious?” Alec asked with a suspicious side eye.

“Well I heard something thunk. And look at that guilt face.”

He pointed to Chairman sitting on the window sill, who gave a meow in response.

Alec sighed, giving a little chuckle. “Hold on, let me get my tools.”

Alec laid working away under sink as Magnus stood nearby, enjoying the sight he’d never get tired of seeing. He watched Alec disconnect the pipe, pulling it down and tilting it as he used his fingers to fish inside.

“Okay, I think I got it.”

“What is it?” Magnus asked.

Alec could tell from the feel it was something metal, but couldn’t discern what the object could be. “I’m not sure.”

Alec slid out from under the sink, sitting up to study what he had retrieved. He frowned in confusion. A silver band sat in his palm.

And Magnus smiled. “Alexander Gideon Lightwood.”

Alec looked up at him, still confused.

“Will you marry me?”

The pieces snapped into place and Alec let out a little chuckle of disbelief, breaking into a grin. “Are you serious?”

Magnus nodded, still smiling wide.

Alec let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head in happy disbelief. “Yes. Yes!”

Magnus knelt down, cupping Alec’s cheeks and pulling him into a deep kiss.

After a moment, Alec pulled back, just a little, his face still close. “Okay, but no more putting things down the drain.” He said, still smiling.

“No more putting things down the drain.” Magnus agreed, pulling him back into the kiss.

And Chairman meowed happily.


End file.
